William Holman Hunt

Bronkhurst Judith

William Holman Hunt was one of the major artistic talents of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, founded in 1848. Hunt's work was always characterised by great seriousness of purpose – he was the only member of that group to remain committed to its principles – and his paintings include many of its most beautiful and powerful images. By any standards Holman Hunt is one of the major British artists of the nineteenth century, and this catalogue raisonee provides the detailed treatment he merits. An illuminating introduction assesses Hunt's life and artistic practice, and devotes a section to his aims, philosophy and religious beliefs. His talent for portraying the natural world with great intensity, his dramatisation of moments of deep emotion, and his extraordinary effects of light and colour make his oeuvre immediately accessible. But his mature paintings incorporate symbolism that cannot be fully understood without detailed knowledge. The catalogue entries thoroughly explore this, drawing extensively on the artist's own writings and correspondence, much of it unpublished. The main catalogue is divided into two chronologically arranged sections, oils and works on paper.

Reviews

"This richly informative and well-produced catalogue is an achievement on a scale which alone compensates for a lifetime's dedication" – Charlotte Gere, The Art Newspaper

"... presented with a welcome authority and critical style, which leaves you with the feeling that this area is now covered magnificently well for at least the next two decades... If there has to be a book of the year, then this is it" – Richard Edmonds, The Birmingham Post

"Such thorough analysis of work after work results in a catalogue that is an enjoyable, sometimes an exciting, read, as well as a profoundly informative insight into the 19th-century mind" – Andrew Wilton, Apollo

"... a work of exemplary scholarship and indefatigable sleuthing. These two magnificently illustrated volumes are not only a truly comprehensive survey of his paintings and watercolours, but also a rich and diligently researched account of his life and artistic aims" – Ian Warrell, The Spectator

"The publication of Judith Bronkhurst's painstaking and comprehensive researches into the work of William Holman Hunt is a major event in the study of Pre-Raphaelites and British art in general. Her book is a recent addition to the distinguished series of catalogues of the works of British artists, and artists working in Britain, published by Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art" – Malcolm Warner, Burlington Magazine

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